Winter 2026–27
Where to See the Northern Lights
NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center describes the best place to see the aurora as a band between about 60° and 75° latitude, where it can be seen on more than half of the nights in a year, provided the sky is dark and free of cloud. Every destination below sits in that band, so the difference between them comes down to darkness and cloud.
Cloud varies more than you might expect. In NASA's 2001–2020 averages, December to February cloud cover ranges from 55% around Yellowknife to 83.7% around Tromsø.
Destinations ranked by midwinter cloud cover
| Destination | Cloud Dec–Feb | Darkness 15 Dec | Avg Jan temp | Nearest airport |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellowknife, Canada | 55% | 14.7 h | -29.5°C | YZF · 3 km |
| Fairbanks, United States | 57.7% | 15 h | -19.9°C | FAI · 7 km |
| Abisko, Sweden | 75.3% | 15.8 h | -12.6°C | BDU · 81 km |
| Kiruna, Sweden | 76.7% | 15.6 h | -13.3°C | KRN · 6 km |
| Ivalo, Finland | 77.3% | 15.8 h | -13.2°C | IVL · 8 km |
| Rovaniemi, Finland | 78.3% | 15.3 h | -12.8°C | RVN · 8 km |
| Alta, Norway | 80.3% | 16.2 h | -10°C | ALF · 3 km |
| Lofoten, Norway | 82.7% | 15.8 h | 0.5°C | SVJ · 10 km |
| Tromsø, Norway | 83.7% | 16.1 h | -8°C | TOS · 4 km |
Cloud and temperature: NASA POWER Climatology API, 2001–2020 regional averages. Darkness: hours with the sun more than 12° below the horizon on 15 December, calculated with the NOAA solar position equations. Airports: our route maps, straight-line distance.